Kitt Robot - an Inclusive and SEND Classroom Resource

Inclusive practice is adopting a teaching pedagogy that encompasses the individual needs and different learning styles of every child.  Many people see this approach as providing children with equal opportunities to succeed. Furthermore, it’s seen to develop children’s confidence and tolerance of  people’s differences. In a classroom of children, teachers have the challenge of catering to a wide range of needs and learning styles. This is where Kitt robot, an inclusive and valuable send classroom resource, can help.

What is Kitt Robot?

Kitt is designed as an interactive and engaging learning companion for children and serves as a valuable tool for teachers. It features a built-in camera, video recorder, and voice recorder, making it versatile for use in classrooms, wider school environments, and home-school connections. Also, Kitt is tactile; it vibrates, lights up, and produces sounds when touched or moved. Additionally, it’s child-like voice enables children to relate to it, allowing attachments to be formed. This makes Kitt effective at not only being a learning companion, but also a support for emotional well-being.

Promoting Inclusivity with Kitt Robot

Kitt robot, as an inclusive and valuable SEND classroom resource, can be used in many different ways so that all children get an equal chance to succeed.

Here are some of the ways that Kitt can be utilised:

Creating a Welcoming Environment for All Children

Integrating Kitt robot into school life will provide children with a supportive companion they can rely on. The presence of Kitt – whether visibly available in the classroom or accessible when needed – can offer comfort to many children. Unlike humans, whose emotions can fluctuate, Kitt serves as a consistent and reliable source of support, ready to assist children whenever they need it, without judgement.

When Kitt is turned on, he lights up, displaying wide eyes and says, “I’m just waking up” in a child-like voice, offering children a warm welcome.

Personalised Learning Companion

Teachers and supporting school staff can easily add videos, photographs or voice recordings to Kitt to support a child’s individual learning needs. For example, instructional videos can be added to explain tasks and demonstrate procedures, allowing children to watch them as many times as needed. Photographs of key sentences or keywords can also be uploaded for a child to use. Additionally, children can use Kitt to evidence their work for a teacher to review. They can also record and listen to sentences to help them improve their writing structure.

Furthermore, teachers can set Kitt’s timer to help children to focus and stay on task. As well as counting down the time, Kitt changes colour as the time decreases. At the start of the countdown, Kitt’s tummy will glow green, then change to amber half way through the time. When time is nearly up, Kitt’s tummy will glow red and then turn blue when the alarm goes off. You can silence the alarm if needed, so Kitt will just vibrate and change colour when the time is up.

Encouraging Group Participation

Kitt is an excellent tool for encouraging children’s participation in group discussions or group activities. For children who struggle with confidence when speaking or performing, Kitt provides a unique solution. Children can record their thoughts and listen to them later, or share them with the class based on their comfort level. Instead of performing directly in front of peers, children can first perform for Kitt, gradually building confidence. Teachers can review these recordings or share them with the class, creating a supportive environment.

Facilitating Active Speaking and Listening Skills

Kitt’s built in video camera, photo camera and voice recorder enable children to actively listen to various content provided by teachers or support staff, such as instructional videos or learning key vocabulary. Furthermore, children can also use the same features to document and review their learning. Additionally, they can share their emotions and feelings with Kitt to help support their wellbeing.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity

Involve children in designing clothes for Kitt to wear from different cultures while learning about specific topics or significant celebrations, such as Diwali. Children can also take Kitt home to record videos and take photographs of their family’s religious practices, traditions and celebrations to share with their class. If children travel abroad to see family or to go on holiday, allow them to take Kitt so they can record and share the similarities and differences between home and another country.

Supporting Children with EAL

Add multimedia files to Kitt to help support children with English as an Additional Language (EAL). For example, teachers can record themselves holding up picture cards and clearly articulating the corresponding words for children to practise saying. Additionally, taking photographs of common words with relevant images for children to access as often as they need can help to support their writing and reading. Parents of children with EAL can also use Kitt to share vocabulary in their own language to further support their children in school.

Serving as an Emotional Wellbeing Companion

Kitt’s tactility can support a wide range of child sensory needs. Putting Kitt into ‘Play Mode’ via the menu options disables Kitt’s buttons.  This means that children can stroke and cuddle Kitt without interruption. Kitt’s smooth exterior makes stroking Kitt a calming experience. When stroked, Kitt will vibrate (similar to a purr) and its belly will turn pink. It will also respond with a facial expression showing enjoyment, so children receive a positive emotional response from Kitt. Beyond ‘Play Mode’, children can use Kitt to share their emotions and feelings using the voice recorder or video option. This is especially beneficial for children who struggle to express themselves to adults or their peers. This sensory experience can help children to self-regulate.

For more tips on how to utilise Kitt to support children’s emotional wellbeing, read the following blog:

Meet Kit: he might just become your new sensory management coach!.

Adjustable Accessibility Features

Kitt has adjustable features that make it user-friendly for children with varying needs.

• Its recessed buttons vibrate when touched, providing an excellent, supportive feature for children with visual impairments. Furthermore, a voice prompt sounds when each button is touched, informing the child of the function of each button. For example, when the play button is touched, Kitt will say “play”. Kitt’s brightness levels can also be adjusted which again is a beneficial feature for children with visual impairments or light sensitivity.
• Visual cues, such as countdowns and Kitt’s changing colours, and the ability to alter Kitt’s volume are also helpful for children with hearing impairments.
• Kitt’s voice recorder is excellent for children with visual impairments, motor impairments and learning difficulties. Children can listen to a text being read using the voice recorder. They can also express their ideas and thoughts by talking into Kitt, instead of writing them down.

Promoting Independent Learning

As well as the adjustable accessibility features that promote independent learning (see above), teachers can create a wide range of content on Kitt for children to access when they need to. This can take the form of videos, photographs or voice recordings.  Not only is this very useful for children who need additional support but also serves as a tool for when children may require an extension task.

Strengthening Home-School Connections

Kitt’s design ensures durability, allowing it to withstand regular transportation to and from school.  It is an excellent tool for creating strong home-school connections. Teachers can use the video recorder to set homework tasks, including supporting information for children and parents/guardians. Children can share homework tasks on Kitt for teachers to review, and they can share work completed at school with parents/guardians. Children can also use Kitt to document activities and events that take place out of school, such as hobbies, a visit to a special place or taking part in a religious festival.

Increasing Exposure to Technology

Kitt is also a great tool for exposing children who are living in digital poverty to technology. Also, Kitt can easily be taken home and used by children without the internet because it does not need an internet connection to operate. Furthermore, providing children with the opportunity to work with Kitt prepares them for the digital future. This is because they will most likely be using/and or working with robots in some capacity in the future.

Using Kitt Robot to Support Children with SEND

As well as the methods mentioned above, Kitt can be utilised in various innovative ways to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) within both the classroom and the wider school environment. For a comprehensive overview of strategies for using Kitt to support SEND children across the curriculum, please refer to our Kitt Senco Guide.

To listen to school practitioners talk about the ways that they have used Kitt in school, including the school SENCo, watch our Terrific Testing Squad: Kitt, The Learning Companion  video.

Conclusion

Fully utilised across the curriculum, Kitt Robot is an excellent inclusive and SEND classroom resource. Its design as a friendly learning companion captures children’s attention and encourages engagement, making it a versatile resource for educators. So why not give Kitt robot a try? You might wonder what you did without it.